F-14 Pilot breaks down TopGun scenes

Explicit content warning

04/19/25 • 16 min

Huge thanks to Captain Ron "Rhino" Kirkland for indulging me in my breakdown of famous TopGun scenes. Awesome to be able to sit down with someone who flew the Tomcat and speak about the capabilities and performance of this amazing aircraft.
Be sure to check out his full podcast on an upcoming episode of The Pilot Life where we talk about not only his journey to the Navy, but also flying as a test pilot, a cargo pilot on the MD11 and B747 and more!

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Captain Kenny Williams / Alaska Airlines

An honor to sit down with a personal mentor and talk about Kenny's amazing aviation career. From his first awe-inspiring experiences in small bush planes to becoming one of the original pilots at Horizon Air, where he helped lay the groundwork for a regional airline that would reshape Northwest aviation.

After joining Alaska Airlines, his career progressed over three decades, during which he worked on the development of the Juneau JAWS system—groundbreaking weather technology that made one of the most challenging landings in North America significantly safer.

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